Etymology

haploid

H4A1P3L1O1I1D2

Today it means: Having the number of chromosomes that a typical gamete has (in the given organism), namely, half the number that a typical somatic cell has (in the given organism). Full definition →

Ancient Greek εἶδος (eîdos) ← Proto-Hellenic *wéidos ← Proto-Indo-European *wéydos
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The story

  1. Proto-Indo-European*sem-
  2. Proto-Indo-European*sm̥-
  3. Proto-Hellenic*hə-
  4. Ancient Greekᾰ̔- (hă-)
  5. Ancient Greekᾰ̔πλόος (hăplóos)
  6. Englishhaplo-
  7. Proto-Indo-European*weyd-
  8. Proto-Indo-European*wéydos
  9. Proto-Hellenic*wéidos
  10. Ancient Greekεἶδος (eîdos)
  11. English todayhaploid

From haplo- + -oid, Ancient Greek roots meaning, together, literally “simplex” or “onefoldlike”, from ᾰ̔πλόος (hăplóos, “single, simple”, literally “onefold”) and -ειδής (-eidḗs, “-like”).

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.